Yoga Nidra For Falling Asleep

This gently guided Yoga Nidra journey accompanies you into a state of deep physical and mental rest. At the beginning, you create a cozy place for yourself, arrive completely where you are, and set a positive intention (Sankalpa) for your restful sleep.

As you mindfully wander through your body with your attention, all remaining tensions of the day are allowed to dissolve layer by layer.

I wish you a restful sleep!

This recording is an adaptation of a wonderful German Yoga Nidra by Emina Sommer, which I have listened to many times.

This version has no background noise or sound effects.

Transcript

Welcome to Yoga Nidra for falling asleep. To begin with, Simply become aware of your whole body and perhaps take a deep breath. Arrive where you are and make yourself really comfortable. You may want to move your body here and there or adjust your head to a comfortable position. You may notice that you need an extra blanket because you may get cold when you are relaxed. And when you are lying really comfortably, Notice that. Just be aware of your body as it is lying there right now. Perhaps it is completely relaxed in some places and perhaps you still feel tension or restlessness somewhere in your body. Just notice it without judging. Let's do a first quick scan through your body and we will do it more slowly and deeply later. Notice your legs from your feet to your hips, Your entire torso and your arms and your neck and your head. Just notice how your body feels right now in this moment. And then shift your attention to your breathing and notice again without judging how your breath feels right now in this moment. Is it shallow or deep? Does it feel easy or difficult to breathe? And then focus on a point where your breathing is easiest to notice. Maybe it is the air flow at the beginning of your nostrils or maybe somewhere in your nose or maybe above your upper lip or perhaps in your abdomen or the chest rising and falling. Remain there with your attention for a few more moments. During yoga nidra I will announce each part of the body and it may happen that your attention simply drifts away and then returns to my voice or that you fall back into a state where you are not aware of everything and that is perfectly okay. The point is for you to relax and drift into a pleasant restful sleep. And before we begin, Set a kind of intention or affirmation. In yoga nidra this is called sankalpa, An expression of alignment, Determination and inner desire of what you want to experience. And perhaps because it is about falling asleep, Choose something related to your sleep. For example, I enjoy restful and deep sleep. Or I regenerate during sleep. Whatever is important for you. And when you formulate your sankalpa, Make sure it is in the present tense and phrase positively without any negation. And then breathe in and out deeply. And then let go of your sankalpa again. Slowly bring your attention back to your body. Feel the surface you are lying on. Feel the weight of your body. Allow your body to relax your muscles and sink into the mattress. Allow your jaw to relax as well. Allow the small muscles around your eyes to relax. Sometimes it is also pleasant to place a light piece of fabric or clothing over your eyes. And then slowly move to your legs. And feel into your left leg. Into your left foot. Notice your left foot. The sole of your left foot. Your left big toe. The second toe. The third toe. The fourth toe. And then the little toe. Notice the back of your left foot. The ankle joint. The left lower leg. The knee. The back of the knee. Your left thigh. The left side of your buttocks. And the left side of your hip. Be aware of your entire left leg. And then move over to your right leg. Be aware of your right leg. The right foot. The sole of the foot. The right big toe. The second toe. The third toe. The fourth toe. And the right little toe. The back of the foot. The ankle joint. The right lower leg. The back of the knee. The right side of your hip. Be aware of your entire right leg. Be aware of both legs together. And feel your hips. Your lower abdomen. From the tailbone. Vertebra by vertebra. Up the spine. The lower back. The middle back. Also the upper back. Be aware of the right side of your back. And also the left side. Be aware of your entire back. And then be aware of your abdominal area. Your entire abdominal area. Notice your abdomen. And your chest. Your entire torso. The left side with your flanks. The right side. And then feel your shoulders. Notice your shoulders. The left shoulder. The right shoulder. From the left shoulder to the left upper arm. Elbow. Forearm. Wrist. Back of the left hand. The left little finger. The ring finger. Finger. Middle finger. Index finger. And the left thumb. And then feel your right arm again. From your right shoulder to your right upper arm. Elbow. Forearm. Wrist. Back of your right hand. The right little finger. Ring finger. Middle finger. Index finger. And the right thumb. Be aware of your entire right arm. Be aware of both arms at the same time. Be aware of both arms and both legs at the same time. And then notice your neck. Feel your neck. The back of your head. Your scalp. Your hair. Your forehead. Your eyeballs. Your eyebrows. Your left eyebrow. Your right eyebrow. Your eyes. Your left eye. Your right eye. Your nose. From the bridge of your nose to the tip of your nose. Your left nostril. Your right nostril. Your cheeks. Left cheek. Right cheek. Your ears. Left ear. Left ear. Right ear. Your jaw. The upper jaw. Lower jaw. Your chin. And the area between your lips where your lips touch. You can feel your whole body becoming heavier and more relaxed. You can feel your whole body becoming heavier and more relaxed. You can feel your body becoming heavier and more relaxed.